Puppet Strings
by Sarquinzel
Summary: "My puppet.." the cat purred to the marionette. "No, my Lady...Come with me." She stared with hesitation, hardly knowing him at all...She did know she had nothing to lose and grabbed his hand. They jumped and fell into the depths of a world she had never known.
1. The Saint and The Luck

Even in ancient Egypt, they had puppetry. Little Marys held up by strings that were no more than carved pieces of wood. But the ages pass and the marionette becomes more complex, potentially having 18 strings or more controlled by a single person.

Magic was not a central thing. It strayed to little central hubs world wide, tapering off and growing wherever. Europe was a grande carnival with jesters, performers, entertainers, festivals; the highlight of the century. France, although seemingly devoid of magicians, was thriving and entertainment was still available everywhere. Mimes either scared or delighted passerbyers while some offered cheap distraction while they stole whatever cheap thing you had in your pockets.

The king of France, Gabriel, was on his deathbed while the nation was blissful and ignorant, enjoying life until something tragic should happen, which it always will. Tragedy is demanded, yet no one wants it. He wasn't necessarily a tyrant, so the people kept peace, but he wasn't merciful. Ever since his young bride had mysteriously disappeared and everything was hush hush, he's kept rather to himself. The time has come, though, to choose a new king. The predicament has come with twins of which to choose. Adrien or Felix.

They both lead secluded lives and didn't have any one but each other to spend it with. Adrien was a free, defiant spirit while Felix was far more intelligent, but was unemotional or depressive majority of the time.

"My sons." Gabriel greeted the two on that fateful day.

"I shall see the heavens soon, my children, and this country will be lead into a new era by one of you."

"You both must go on a journey. Bring me back a magical object to finally grace France with the rest of the world's magic and finally shall I retrieve eternal rest."

The twins split their ways, both unsure and afraid. Adrien finds himself far from his home and magic rich in the very air he breathes.

He sits by a tree for its shade and rests.

What will tomorrow bring?


	2. Carnival

Adrien swirled the wine around in his glass, wondering the difference of a Bordeaux and any other wine in this country. Anyone could try and copy it, but if the grapes were not from the Bordeaux region, it was simply not a Bordeaux. He sighed and slumped back in the small tavern. He spent the beginning of his alotted time partying and enjoying the freedom he'd never known while his brother was taking great leaps in the quest.

He finished off his glass, left a couple of francs, and was on his merry way. He contemplated continuing his quest, yet decided to start tomorrow and go to a nearby masquerade carnival tonight. He meandered around town that day, finding a few costumes to his liking, eventually choosing a mischievous black cat themed one. He stopped by his inn and changed into the elaborate costume, consisting of cat ears, a bell, clawed gloves (he did not know quite how he would maneuver through the night without hurting anybody), a tail, and a rather plain mask that did its job to conceal his face.

Night fell shortly and he ventured out in that attire, not receiving a single strange look; most wealthy or even poor men went out partying at night these days. Magic trinkets were being sold all around, jousting, faux fights, and food all around added to the atmosphere, a fire eater nearby making a crowd ooh and ahh.

Even with all these distractions, Adrien was led to a puppetry group. A marionette performance. Opera music filled the air as his eyes set on the life size doll. She almost looked human. Her bright blue eyes struck him, even at his distance, and her dark hair was pulled to each side of her delicate face with a ribbon tied meticulously into a bow. Her skin did not look carved out of wood, yet most of it was covered by tights and long sleeves. He tried getting as close as he could in the large crowd as his very soul resounded. The doll seemed to seep with magical energy which rattled his bones. To simply say, he was entranced. He suddenly was filled with determination and knew the fates had lead him here.

He must have that doll.


	3. Ocean Blue

"What's her name?" Adrien asked, examining the strange girl. She was a puppet, yet she stood on her own.

"She's a marionette, sir." A tall, brooding man sporting a mustache simply stated.

"Marinette?" Adrien questioned, seeing how it fits with her ocean blue eyes. The other man sighed and saw no point in arguing with the boy.

"Yes, uh, Marinette." The doll was not fazed. In fact, few things seemed to move her at all. She stood still other than her eyes constantly roaming.

"She has much magical energy." Adrien observed and felt a buzz from being so close.

"Many magicians spent their lives perfecting her; she began as a simple wooden doll and here she is now.. Man made life." Adrien was amazed and could only wonder why such a great object was stuck performing puppetry on the road.

"I might even say she's so powerful that she attracts other magical sources." The owner bragged.

"We came here to this deserted open area and soon after others came, creating a this humble magic hub in this dry country." Adrien couldn't believe his luck.

"I want her, what price do you want?" The boy eagerly asked. The man sputtered and laughed heartily.

"I mean you no insult, but she is not for sale." He informed. Adrien went cold, wondering if he would be able to hit a jackpot like this again.

"I can make you a marquis, give you your own land, riches, please, sir." Adrien offered. The man shook his head in a little disbelief.

"Tempting, but my crew, wife, and I are happy as it is. This marion-" He caught himself, "our Marinette is not for sale." He said. Final. Adrien sighed in defeat.

"I see, so I really cannot have her." The man nodded.

"I suppose you're right." Adrien lamented.

"Good night, sir."

As he walked off he chuckled mischievously, already devising his plan.


	4. My Lady

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! 3**

The Marionette's life began suddenly, from not existing to existing. For performances others controlled her strings to make them "more authentic." She was conscious, sentient, yet never regarded herself as human. She did not care for life much.

This Adrien boy was just another conflict in her so called life. He wanted her as an object like so many others. It didn't faze her. Nothing does..

"Marinette?" She heard a whisper. She recognized the name the boy gave her, but did not respond. He climbed out in the same silly costume he wore earlier and scanned the area, eyes landing on her.

"Listen, if you come with me you can live in the palace and entertain the very king himself. I can offer you anything, just please come with me, puppet." She was far from interested and stayed still like always. He looked a little frustrated.

"Isn't life mundane? Seeing the same things, performing the same shows, and always seeing the same people?" Adrien asked her.

"You're alive and don't have the follow the life of a puppet, Marinette." They both seemed to have a spark of understanding.

"Come with me and live the life you want, my Lady." He held out his hand, black silk gloves adorning them. For the first time in a long while, she moved on her own. She grasped the stranger's hand tightly and they ran off into the night.

Being alive.

She pondered along the thought of it and made herself giddy to imagine doing whatever she wanted. The people chasing them and the dead end they've ended up in hardly mattered all of a sudden. This strange young boy had called her a lady..

It was all so exciting!

They stood at the edge of a cliff, burning ribbons of lava adorning the bottom. That river was the famous Froilav that glowed like fire year round.

"Give back the doll." They demanded, their shadows warping from the river. The boy looked stumped, yet far from giving up. She grasped his hand tightly.

"Boy, you must trust me." She whispered to him. He smiled..or rather smirked?

"Call me Adrien."

She pulled him along with her and they jumped off the treacherous height.


	5. Clothes Make The Man

The boy was screaming, but his cries were flying up into the wind and long forgotten quickly. Marinette saw the Froilav below them and casted a spell, softening their fall into the river.

He cried out and exclaimed,

"It's freezing!"

They waded to the shore and slumped onto the ground.

"Of course." Marinette finally responded.

"Haven't you learned in school the name comes from lave froid, Cold Lava?" Adrien coughed awkwardly and cleared his throat.

"My brother is more of the, uh, 'smart one.'" He responded. She simply sighed and the breathed deeply. Free

Free. Never once desiring it yet bathing in it once it was in her grasp.

"You're from the capital, correct?" She asked him.

"I spent most of my childhood in chateaus in the country, i mean, but that's where we must return now." He responded, taking off his mask and wiping his face. The doll blushed a little, feeling inner turmoil, never having dealt with this emotion before.

"We need to quickly stop back at the inn I was staying in and, uh," he examined her frilly and colorful garment that shouted I'M HERE, "get you some new clothes." She quickly composed herself and decided this was a problem for another time.

She had to admit, when he wasn't dressed as a silly cat, he looked just a little bit handsome. He had a more professional air about him. She now looked plain compared to him in her unflattering white bag of a dress.

"I hope we have time to get me some new clothes later." She told him.

"You look fine, Marinette." He complimented without much thought on it, yet she still was extremely flattered. He opened the window and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Can't bring to much attention to ourselves, right?" He reasoned.

"Believe me, two people scaling down the side of a building would grab my attention much more than our alternative." He shut the window and sighed.

"You could always zap someone with your magic or whatnot, correct?" He said while buttoning up his coat.

"Magic...doesn't quite work like that." She responded.

"You can tell me later." He patted her on the back.

"Let's get going."


	6. Rotten Little Girl

Adrien had never questioned the lethality of heels until he saw Marinette kick someone in the gut with hers. He had to admit, she didn't even need magic in combat; she was truly impressive.

After the two had hitched a ride on a wagon and started their walk to a closeby village, thugs. Nothing too special about them. They probably were bought cheaply to retrieve their money magnet Marinette. Adrien had let her wear a pair of his heels due to her fascination, even though it was incredibly improper. They didn't fit right, yet magic was indeed a handy tool.

"So, you can use your magic to adjust shoes, but if we get attacked it's uncertain if you'll be able to zap them or not?" He had asked her.

"No one can use it excessively, really; It's like energy and you're exercising. You can use it until you get worn out, thus having to wait until you have enough to use it again." She explained to him. He nodded, yet still was a bit confused.

Getting back to the thugs, they had clearly underestimated Marinette. Needless to say, they were easily defeated and they quickly picked up their pace.

"So, why did the king send one of his sons to fetch me?" She asked.

"Some silly mission to be king." Adrien drawled lightly.

"Bring back a magic object worthy enough and such." He elaborated fuzzily.

"Certainly you're not going to win with just me." She pointed at herself to accentuate her statement

"Perhaps, perhaps not; being king has all I've been trained for since I was born and I know others would literally kill to have that power, but I guess it's not the most important thing in the world to me." He explained. Marinette was dubious to believe him.

"So you reallu don't believe me, eh? You see, I'm the easy going, outgoing brother. I don't care much for responsibility. I'm already stuck in an arranged marriage with some girl I've never met." He complained.

"Most marriages are arranged," Marinette informed, "whether you're noble or peasant." He simply sighed.

"Well, all I know is that she's a rotten little princess that only cares about her hair and dresses."

"Her name is Chloe."


	7. Can't Say No

"That one." Marinette pointed at a lovely gown on display.

"Buy me that one." She repeated.

"You've already bought enough dresses." Adrien argued, realizing all the money he brought is not nearly sufficient for two people.

"We have to budget." He told her.

"After I buy that dress?" She smiled cheekily. He figured that since she didn't need to eat he could sacrifice it. Plus, he couldn't say no to that face.

Adrien didn't like the long process of getting a dress. He thought most of the ones she bought were simple, yet Marinette had to be measured and they would roughly find anything that'd fit her, plus corsets which she always needed magic to tie them up. He supposed that men's fashion was similar, but no where near the frilly, heavy layers and binding that women had to go through.

Marinette didn't like Chloe. Of course, she had never met Chloe and all she knew of her was insufficient to judge one's character, but she just couldn't like this stranger. She wondered why and figured it was simply a gut feeling, ironic to the fact that she didn't have a gut.

After they had purchased the dress they continued traveling in the not too suffocating summer heat.

"Can't you, oh I don't know, teleport us?" Adrien asked, loosening his shirt collar dramatically; he did not take the heat well at all.

"I don't trust my transportation abilities enough to do that." Marinette responded, unfazed in her heavy attire.

"Is it that hard?" Adrien more whined than asked.

"Considering I've never been to the castle, have never needed to teleport much in my existence, and the probability of losing limbs, I'm using better judgement and deciding not to teleport." She said curtly as if scolding a young child. Adrien didn't reply and kept dragging his feet on the dry dirt. It flew up in small clouds along the ground and make the humid air gritty.

"We need to find am inn soon." Adrien complained even though the sun wasn't near setting.

"I suppose." Marinette reluctantly agreed. As if the very gods were listening to their pleas, a building could be seen in the distance. Adrien's eyes lit up, but Marinette frowned. She almost told Adrien that the place didn't seem right to her, but seeing that relieved, hopeful look on his face shut her up. She didn't want to crush him, or is it that she couldn't?


	8. Paranoia

Marinette sat on her knees next to the bath, too shy to refuse their hostess's kindness. She swirled her hand around in the now lukewarm water. She didn't feel like sitting on the bathroom floor for much longer, so she got and headed for her room. She wondered if she should check on Adrien...She was so awkward, but scolded herself for being so childish. She found his room number and knocked timidly on the wood.

"Adrien?" She called out. She wondered if she had gotten the room wrong. That would be so embarrassing! Maybe she should abort mission before it's too late. She ended up turning the handle, though, and it was surprisingly unlocked. She looked around the small room and it was empty. Had he gone out? The bad feeling in her stomach worsening. She wanted to call out again, but fear constrained her voice. Her eyes lead to the closed bathroom door and she quickly nocked.

"Adrien, everything alright in there?" She asked. She tried turning the handle, but this one was, unfortunately, locked and could only be jostled around.

Long moments passes before he opened the door with only his pants and a large towel covering him. His hair was messy and his breathing ragged. Marinette blushed, but noticed he wasn't alright.

"Are you okay?" She asked, very concerned at this point. He leaned on the doorway and closed his eyes.

"Yeah." He finally answered, although sounding raspy. Marinette frowned at the blatant lie, yet left it at that.

"I'll be awake all night if you need me." Marinette comforted and started walking away.

"What's it like?" Adrien asked. She raised an eyebrow at him for elaboration.

"I mean, watching the world sleep and you can't." He added.

"It's mostly boring to be truthful." She responded.

"But sometimes, I want to know what it's like." She continued with a more somber air. She quickly smiled and waved.

"Well, you're probably going to sleep soon, so goodnight." And she left quickly. Her emotions were muddled, but, in the end, it was worth it that she came.


End file.
